46 teachers laid off

Forty-six Clarkston teachers will soon receive lay-off notices ? more than triple last year’s pink-slip list.
Approved April 2, by a 6-1 vote of the Board of Education, the list includes 21 elementary and 25 secondary teachers.
Nine are new teachers who were featured in The Clarkston News this past fall.
The layoffs are not due to any sort of negative performance by the teachers ‘they are needed because of budget reductions of up to $5.49 million. These cuts are needed because of drops in state funding and enrollment, increases in insurance and retirement costs, and other factors, said Superintendent Al Roberts.
‘I can’t think of anyone in the district who is happy we need to go through this process tonight,? Roberts said.
‘We don’t want to lose anyone,? said Linda Nester, executive director of human resources.
Some of them may be recalled later in the summer, Nester said.
Treasurer John Koval voted against the staff reductions.
‘I have a philisophical disagreement with the way we do some of these cuts,? Koval said.
Teacher contracts, typical of those throughout the state, require layoff notices to be sent by April ? if not, teachers are assured employment the following school year.
This results in teachers being laid off in the spring to provide the school board with fiscal flexibility, then some are rehired in the summer as ‘soft numbers,? including state funding, enrollment, and negotiated employee salaries, become clearer.
Budget reduction lists approved by the board earlier this school year include staff lay-offs of about 25 full- and part-time employees, saving about $1.3 million. Last year, 14 teachers were laid off. Seven were recalled.
‘Every year, the same thing happens,? Koval said. ‘I feel bad that every year, they have this to look forward to.?